The transactional model of stress and coping

One way of improving our relationship with stress is to understand some of the processes which underpin it, and how they influence the ways we try and cope. One way of understanding this is through the transactional model of stress and coping1. The transactional model of stress and coping argues that our experience of stress is ultimately a system of appraisal, response and adaptation.

Positive thinking

We think of positive thinking as a good thing right? Self-improving, make stuff happen, avoid doubt and feeling bad type stuff? An intriguing post I came across this week (retweeted by @amber_saying on twitter) suggests it is not quite so straight forward… Interesting and thought provoking read!

Self-integrity and the power of self-affirmation

We’ve all heard of self-affirmation – but what is it, and how does it work? Sometimes, it can can be stressful to receive negative feedback, or we can worry about how well we are performing in a particular task. Acting defensively in response to this can limit our opportunities to learn and grow. Research around self-affirmation suggests that reflecting on other aspects of ourselves can stop us becoming defensive. But why? And how do we actually go about ‘self-affirming’?

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Dog eats dog? Or a fellowship of mutual endeavour?

Academia is a funny old game – you need to work collaboratively with other people to get on, but you are also competing with them for a fairly small pool of resources (such as grant funds and journal space). But the academy isn’t unique in this respect, and I suspect it is similar to many occupations in this way. This has got me thinking a lot about what these ‘professional friendships’ mean, and what they look like…

In the media aftermath of the shooting scare at Oxford Street, two social psychologists,Stephen Reicher and John Drury, ask if it is right to say people caught in a terror scare ‘panic’? Their conclusion? Panic suggests irrationality which isn’t really accurate…

Where is (should?) social psychology heading?

Last week I posted about going through the process of writing Social Psychology: the Basics, a new textbook I am currently writing. I am just about to get cracking on the first draft of the final chapter. One aim of this section is to discuss future directions of social psychology as a discipline. I’m interested in what new topics social psychologist will (or should) be exploring. And I would like you to tell me!

Busy, busy, busy?

I’ve decided to (try) and stop saying I am busy all the time. When people ask me, I will try and stop say ‘ too busy’, ‘so busy’ or ‘you know, busy’ or any variation of the ‘busy’ theme. No idea if I will manage it, but we’ll see how it goes!

Social Psychology: The Basics – now being written

Dear Blog,

For some time I have been harbouring a bit of a secret from you. I’ve not been sure how to bring it up, but I think it is time. I’ve been writing, and not with you. I met someone, we had a chat, and now I am in a wonderful relationship with a great editor. In fact, we’re having a book together. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it has. I think it’s time you know all about it. The book’s name? I’m not sure it’s that important, but it’s going to be called ‘Social Psychology: The Basics’.

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Lots of exciting posts on the way

It has been great getting back in the swing of writing for PsychologyItBetter.com again. I’m so excited about the blog posts that we have coming up, I wanted to share in advance! I have already scheduled posts on the importance of professional friendships, why I am going to try and stop telling people I am busy, and the role of ‘Big Tobacco’ in harm reduction. These will be appearing over the next few weeks. (I’ve also got some very exciting news to share soon…. 🙂 ).

Alongside all this I am also planning new posts on the five most important psychology books ever written, the role of self-affirmation and a load more topics. There should can be something for everybody 🙂

Don’t miss a single one!

I advertise new posts on Facebook and Twitter – but you can quite easily miss these announcements if you’re not looking at these sites around the time the post happens. Fortunately, I have now set things up so you can receive weekly digest of the blogs that have been posted in the last seven days. If you pop your email in the box below and press subscribe, you need never miss a post again 🙂

Email Address

You can opt out of these emails at any time, and I will never share your email address with other people. I hate spam as much as anyone, so will not be bombarding you with emails!

Whether you choose to sign up or not I do hope you continue to enjoy reading PsychologyItBetter.com as much as I enjoy writing it!

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Help a student (or even two)!

A few of my students have some interesting online research going on as part of their courses – have a look and see if you’d like to take part of :-). There is no payment for participation, except the warm glow you get inside for having helped someone out 🙂

Eyewitness testimony around pubs and clubs

One of my students (Georgina Bartlett) is doing a study investigating eyewitness memory for crimes that take place around pubs and clubs as part of her doctoral studies- If you wish to take part, you will be asked to complete a consent form before watching a short video clip of a crime outside a bar. You will also be asked to fill in a short questionnaire. In total the study should take around 10 minutes. You can find out more about this study by clicking here.

How people interact with Facebook

One of my undergraduates, Christian Powell, is looking at how people interact with Facebook as part of their undergraduate studies. This questionaire will ask you how well you can resist clicking facebook notifications, and takes about 15 minutes. If you want to find out more, click here.